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Crime rate down in state, county

St. Johns County’s crime rate continued a downward trend, dropping nearly 4 percent from 2011 to 2012, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The trend mirrored that of the state.

The 2012 annual Uniform Crime Report released on Thursday shows that Florida’s crime rate — offenses per 100,000 people — declined 6.5 percent from 2011, taking the number to its lowest point since the FDLE began tracking crime statistics in 1971.

Officials including Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey announced the report at the Southwest Florida Police Chiefs Association meeting in Fort Myers.

“While Florida’s population continues to increase, the number of crimes continues to fall. This report is good news for Florida families, businesses and visitors,” Bailey said in an FDLE release.

St. Johns County’s crime rate dropped 3.9 percent from 2011 to 2012, with several types of offenses including robbery, burglary, larceny and motor vehicle theft showing decreases. The total number of offenses decreased from 5,322 in 2011 to 5,200 in 2012.

Murders were up with eight in 2012 and six in 2011.

St. Johns County’s crime rate dropped by 0.3 percent from 2010 to 2011.

Total arrests in the county increased from 4,594 in 2011 to 4,692 in 2012. More arrests were made for offenses such as simple assault and DUI in 2012 than in 2011. Arrests were down for kidnapping/abduction, drug arrests and vandalism.

Percentage of crimes cleared was 29.8 percent in 2011 and 27.5 percent in 2012.

The general decline in the crime numbers came even as the population for Florida as well as St. Johns County increased.

Bill Bales, professor in the College of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Florida State University, said crime has been declining in Florida for around 20 years, and Florida is not alone. In general, the U.S. has experienced a drop in crime over the last several years.

Officials do not know specifically why the numbers are dropping, but there are many possible factors, including smarter policing techniques.

Bales said, despite the numbers, most people probably do not believe they are safer today than they were five, 10 or 20 years ago.

“It’s pretty remarkable really,” he said. “It’s almost like the best-kept secret around.”